Food

ORLANDO, Fla. – This story began as a simple conversation on a podcast: the “Let’s Eat, Orlando with Amy Drew and Biggie” podcast (available on virtually any podcast platform and viewable on YouTube, as info), when the errant mention of a chicken tender chain devolved into disbelief from my pod partner, Deli Fresh Threads’ Anthony “Biggie” Bencomo.

Imagine being a contestant on the hit television game show, “Jeopardy.” For the win and with a million-dollar prize on the line, Alex Trebeck articulates the clue: “Cinco de Mayo.” You think for a moment, then write your answer on the card before you. When prompted, you confidently display your answer: “What is Bronx slang for ‘hold the mayonnaise?’ ” The buzzer buzzes, the audience gasps and the million-dollar prize – so close you can almost taste it – painfully fades away. Today’s brief history lesson is for you.

When it comes to pizza, I’m all about the crunch. That means that as delicious as Neapolitan-style pies can taste, they’re not my favorite because of their floppy, almost soupy center. Detroit-style is high on my list because of that thick crust that gets crunchy around the edges partly from fried cheese, but my top pick is something thinner.

A new spot in Spokane Valley offers tasty treats and beverages with shamrock flair.

Fresh ideas for dinner can spring from so many places: the pages of a new cookbook or food magazine, a funny TikTok or instructional video on Instagram or (among my favorite sources for inspiration) websites like Food 52, Serious Eats or Smitten Kitchen. It also can depend on what you happen to stumble upon while grocery shopping. This week's recipe hinges on what I was thrilled to find on ...

It’s long baffled me how two of the most essential flavors – sour and salty – came to be associated with bad moods. Tasting food, the only criticism I level more frequently than “this dish needs more acid” is “this dish needs more salt.” Each is essential, providing its own kind of brightening and binding, lifting and highlighting the flavors around it. Yet with people, both “salty” and “sour” have evolved to describe anger or unpleasantness. It must be based on facial reactions – the pinched grimace of a person who has taken a bite of lemon echoing the pinched scowl of someone who wants to speak with the manager.

Picadillo is a popular Latin dish made with ground meat, onions, green bell pepper, tomato sauce, capers, and raisins. The success of this dish lies in the blending of sweet and savory flavors.

Japanese culture has introduced many excellent food products and dishes to America’s culinary palate. Most of us are familiar with surimi (imitation crab and lobster), ramen noodles, the hungry college student’s best friend, and its convenient variant, Cup Noodles. Thank you, Nissin, but bring back the dried egg cubes that once enticingly adorned every cup of noodles when we opened it.

Giant beer cans floating a river. Giant beer bottles with legs. Giant beer bottles at the dawn of humanity. These are just a few sights from the documentary, “Rainier: A Beer Odyssey,” which showcases the legendary commercials of Seattle’s beloved Rainier Brewery that ran from 1974 to 1987.

No-Li Brewhouse has whipped up a concoction that can quench one’s thirst for tangy craft beer and timely local news in one 12-ounce can.

I was surprised to learn that each of us eats about three pounds of salmon a year, on average, according to the National Fisheries Institute. I would have guessed that amount to be much higher because salmon is the second most popular seafood in America (shrimp is No. 1). My perception was skewed by the quantity we devour in my household. I easily eat three pounds of it in a couple of months, which is why my gears are always turning for new ways to prepare it.

Gnocchi Mac and Cheese is a playful and innovative twist on a classic from food writer Ben Weiner.

Of all the various dietary needs we hear about from readers, limiting the amount of sodium in recipes is among the most common requests. The good news is that if you’re eating mostly home-cooked food, you’re already well on your way to reducing your salt intake, as more than 70% of Americans’ dietary sodium comes from packaged or prepared food, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Some sandwiches stand the test of time and so do the restaurants that serve them. That’s true of the Triple Treat and Something Else Deli.

No-Li Brewhouse is launching the Frontline Freedom fundraiser to support Hillyard’s VFW Post 1474, which provides aid for veterans, active-duty military personnel, first-responders and their families.

If you aren’t prepared, spring can catch you off guard.

Presenting Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes so soon after Coeur d’Alene’s Mac and Cheese Festival may be risky. This dish could be deemed ordinary, except for possibly one thing. It’s the most mellow macaroni and cheese I’ve ever eaten. The tomato does that. If stressed at the end of the day, eat this, and you’ll likely feel much more relaxed and secure.

German-born, licensed local pastor Rene’ Devantier of Spokane’s Fowler United Methodist Church takes a distinct approach to ministering to those in need.

When Byron and Kim Brown sought a mainland site to expand Akamai Coffee Company and Maui restaurants, they settled on Coeur d'Alene. The couple opened The Lanai Feb. 7 in the city's midtown to bring the same food, vibe and decor of its Hawaiian counterparts.